The Chamois in the Tatras now number over 1,000; thus, it is clear that the population of the Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica; in Slovak – Kamzík vrchovský tatranský) continues to grow. In 1999 only about 320 chamois, a goat-antelope species, lived in the Tatra mountains, and prior to winter 2005, their number did not exceed 500. According to this year’s autumn census, however, that number has since ballooned to 1,096, Lenka Burdová, of the State Forests of the Tatra National Park (TANAP), informed the TASR newswire. Out of that, 810 were living in the Slovak part of the mountain range and 286 on the Polish side. By the time of the census, 134 young chamois were found grazing in the Slovak Tatras and 43 in the Polish Tatras. A notable feature of this year’s census was the existence of large herds: in the Hlinská valley more than 70 were counted in one herd, while most of the biggest herds were found in Belianske Tatry. “The viability of the chamois population is evaluated by the size of individual herds, not just by the total number of the population,” TANAP zoologist Jozef Hybler told the SITA newswire. “In general, the bigger the herds, the more viable the whole population is. Seeing such a big herd is not a rarity, but it is not very common, either. That said, the existence of such a big herd is a good sign that this rare native sub-species typical of the Tatras is faring well these days,” he concluded. More....

There are 1096 chamois, a type of mountain goat, roaming freely in the High Tatras on the Polish-Slovak border, according to the latest ‘census’.

According to the latest count, this is an all-time record, the previous one - 1075 - having been registered in 1964. The Slovak part of the Tatras is by far bigger than the Polish one and small wonder that the number of chamois in Slovakia is almost four times higher than in Poland. The chamois - the symbol of both the Polish and Slovak Tatra National Park – is under strict protection. A tangible fluctuation in the number of these animals is attributed to avalanches, predation, poaching and an uncontrolled influx of tourists. The twice-yearly counts of the chamois have started in 1954 by the Tatra National Park in Poland. Three years later Slovakia joined the project. Female chamois and their young live in herds of up to 100 individuals whereas adult males tends to live solitarily for most of the year.

Slovakia and Poland have initiated a cooperative programme to protect the dwindling marmot population in the Tatra Mountains. Conservationists from the Tatra National Park (TANAP) established a constant vigil last month to watch over Slovak territory where marmot colonies live and continued their effort until October 24. They were armed with binoculars, cameras and even a helicopter to intervene if they spotted a poacher. The effort was concentrated in Belianske Tatry and Západné. There was success in the Belianske Tatry area several years ago in reintroducing marmots into the mountain range; the animals flourished and became self-sufficient. These marmots had been implanted with microchips so the colony could be monitored by authorities from TANAP. But three years ago the marmot population completely died out in Belianske Tatry – an occurrence experts blamed on natural predators as well as the actions of human poachers. “They plug the ventilation [holes\, release gas, and the marmots are forced to crawl out of their den,” explained Pavol Majko, the director of TANAP, to the SITA newswire, adding that “the poachers then catch them in special traps or kill them.”This year TANAP conservationists managed to record an attempted illegal poaching of marmots but the officials were unsuccessful in capturing or identifying the poachers. Pavel Ballo, one of the TANAP conservationists who witnessed the attempted poaching said he could not believe his eyes. Hikers in the region have found objects that indicate barbaric methods have been used to kill marmots: a pick axe, shovels, and gas canisters, alongside a steel trap that had the remains of a marmot’s paw. “Additional tools have been found by animal rights activists, who discovered wire nooses in the vicinity of the animals’ dens, along with claws and clumps of fur,” Majko told SITA. More....

(Rupicapra rupicapra) is a European goat-antelope species that inhabits steep, rocky mountainsides, alpine forests and grassy slopes above the tree line. Chamois are brave animals with special skills developed to ensure their survival in very remote wilderness areas and in highly challenging mountain conditions such as snow blizzards, low temperatures and limited food resources. Native populations develop in an island-like fashion in the Carpathian Mountains, the Alps, the Central Italian Apennines, the Pyrenees, the Balkan Mountains, certain parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. Due to the isolation and inaccessibility of these areas, most of these mountains are occupied by two species and several subspecies specific to each range. Within the EU, the chamois species is strictly protected under the European Habitats Directive. Species history in Europe The chamois was traditionally an important game animal for people living in the mountains: It was hunted for food, as well as for its skin and horns, the latter which was used to prepare certain medicines. Human pressure on mountain areas started to increase in the 17th and 18th centuries, and logging and grazing resulted in continued expansion of suitable habitats for chamois. Deforestation not only created more favourable food conditions for the species, but also led to the extinction of big carnivores, which had greatly affected their numbers. These artificially created conditions significantly increased population density, but this in turn caused a gradual worsening in the health condition of the Alpine chamois, for example. Viral infections and other diseases typical of the chamois in the Alps made this subspecies subject to a dramatic change of population dynamics. In contrast, subspecies in other regions such as the Carpathians, Balkan and Dinaric mountains, where native populations of carnivores survived, are much healthier and less vulnerable to infections, allowing for a more balanced population dynamics in those areas. A wilderness species In a heavily exploited continent like Europe, large and properly managed high-mountain wilderness areas are critical to the chamois' survival. Enclosing the animal or keeping it in captivity is difficult and often results in death. The key, then, to the future of the species lies is in situ management - i.e. leaving them wild in their natural environment. According to data from the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF), the largest non-fragmented area for chamois is to be found in the Alps, with a population of over 80,000 animals in Swiss territories, and about 20,000 in Germany. More....